From a St. Petersburg Bank to the World's Airports
Russian Standard was born in 1998 — the very year Russia was enduring one of the severest financial crises of its post-Soviet history. The brand's founder, Roustam Tariko, had by that point already built a successful bank — Russian Standard Bank — and the vodka project became his next major venture.
Tariko was the first in Russia to apply the logic of international luxury to a vodka brand: a single global quality standard, consistent marketing in Western markets, distribution through duty-free channels and premium retail networks. Russian Standard appeared in European airports in the early 2000s — today the brand is present in over 1,000 airports around the world.
The brand's marketing narrative makes active use of the figure of Dmitri Mendeleev — creator of the periodic table, who in his doctoral dissertation of 1865 examined ethanol-water solutions. The legend that Mendeleev "established the ideal vodka strength of 40 degrees" is a popular myth: in reality the 40% standard was set by government decree for taxation reasons, not as a scientific conclusion by the chemist. Nevertheless, the Mendeleev reference constructs a narrative of "scientifically grounded" recipe.
The brand sells in 85+ countries and is one of the few Russian brands with genuine global reach and recognition. Russian Standard Imperia regularly wins at international tasting competitions in the ultra-premium category.
Steppe Wheat and Ladoga Water
Production is concentrated at a plant in St. Petersburg. This is significant — a city with an imperial history, the symbol of European Russia, providing the right context for positioning in Western markets.
The grain base is winter wheat from the southern Russian steppe. Winter varieties, as with Absolut, are hardened by cold, forming dense grain with a high starch content. Wheat from the southern regions is notable for its higher sugar content, which influences the smoothness of the final product.
The water source is Lake Ladoga, treated through a multi-stage purification process. Ladoga — the largest freshwater lake in Europe — provides a stable, controllable source of soft water with low mineralisation. After purification the water approaches distilled water in hardness and composition, providing a neutral flavour background.
The final filtration is quadruple activated charcoal. Charcoal filtration removes residual impurities and smooths the flavour. The Platinum range receives additional silver filtration — on the same principle as Beluga, but at a less aggressive concentration.
Flavour Profile
Recommended temperature: −18°C for neat serving. Original and Platinum make an excellent cocktail base. Imperia deserves neat tasting at −8°C to reveal its complexity.